TWO British holiday reps were arrested on the Greek island of Rhodes yesterday in a police campaign to curb drunken and violent behaviour.

A 31-year-old man from First Choice 2wentys and a 34-year-old woman from Olympic Holidays face charges of “guided, illegal trade”, which relate to them allegedly being paid to direct tourists to specific clubs or bars.

More British travel reps were likely to be arrested, police said. They allege that the two reps also organised pub crawls that could lead to “violence or sexual excesses”.

The arrests come after a spate of violent incidents involving British holidaymakers on Rhodes, including the murder last week of a teenager in the resort of Faliraki.

Paddy Doran, 17, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was stabbed to death with a broken bottle in a nightclub brawl.

A 21-year-old Briton has admitted responsibility. Nine other Britons face trial over the killing.

In the past week police, tour operators and politicians have held meetings on how to deal with hooligans. Local people from Faliraki have expressed concern that a limited police presence is leading to a rise in the unruly behaviour.

Rhodes achieved notoriety after the television programme Club Reps portrayed the excesses of British holidaymakers. The island is off the southern tip of Turkey, a four-hour flight from Britain.

It is promoted by British travel agents as the place for sun, sex and alcohol and attracts about 70,000 British tourists each year.

Police said that the hedonistic lifestyle of British tourists had led to sexual attacks on the island. Eleven women were raped there last year, including six from Britain. There have been three rapes and two sex attacks at knifepoint in the past two months.

First Choice 2wentys said that its employee had been released but ordered to return for questioning today. A spokesman said that it was not clear why he was arrested.

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